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A retired movie theater-turned-warehouse in DTLA is home to the second-generation eyewear brand, [**Bonnie Clyde**](https://www.bonnieclyde.la/). _Jon Yuan_ founded the brand back in 2016 after his family created their sunglass company three decades prior. Inspired by the art, architecture, interior design, film, and music that surrounds him, Yuan crafts each collection through a sophisticated and unique lens of Los Angeles. Following collaborations with [_Phlemuns_](https://www.instagram.com/phlemuns/?hl=en) and [_SOSUPERSAM_](https://www.instagram.com/sosupersam/?hl=en), **_BC_** released it’s Spring/ Summer 2020 collection with a nostalgic twist to ‘90s frames. Before its drop last Thursday, **Flaunt** spoke with Jon on all things Bonnie Clyde and their SS20 season.
**_How did you decide to follow in your parents footsteps and work in the sunglass industry?_**
I fu\*\*ing love it. It's the dopest thing in the world. I work with my family and my closest friends, and it's truly a blessing. And I think I am insanely lucky. Not only cause I get to do what I get to do, but also because I am super passionate about eyewear. I remember when I was in first grade, I told my parents I needed glasses. I didn't; I just wanted to wear them. And this was at like six years old in the 90s when wearing glasses meant you were getting bullied. I didn't care. I thought glasses were dope. So yeah, that's why I decided to work in this industry. It's a passion thing.
**_You've said that Bonnie Clyde eyewear is contemporary, yet accessible. How is that achieved in a pair of sunnies?_**
We spend way too much time with the details on sunglasses to make them stand out without being too pretentious about it. We always try to tiptoe across this fine line of wearable without being basic, playful without being too crazy. We don't want to make a statement piece that you can only wear once during fashion week, but we also don't want to make something that's boring and already out there. Both are wasteful, and both are not who we are. It's all about that fine line and the playful details.
**_The SS20 collection features larger lenses. Is the era of tiny sunglasses over?_**
YES! Hahaha, it's over. We're going back to big ass glasses and big ass suits. That's the vibe.
**_Where do you look for inspiration when designing lens styles each season?_**
We take inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. Art, architecture, furniture, film, and music. For this season, we really dived into our love for music, specifically RnB and pop music from our childhood. We looked at vintage eyewear from the early 2000s and 90s. We took details from instruments. And for colors, we took inspiration from some of our favorite album covers. Generally, though, we try to capture whatever feeling we are looking for into the designs, and music is the strongest link.
SOSUPERSAM x Bonnie Clyde
**_How did the collaboration with SOSUPERSAM come about?_**
I was always a big fan of Sam and her slow jam parties, called 143. She represented everything we as a brand are about. She's goofy, she's LA, and she's RnB - the shared values and culture were there. So we reached out to her to see if she ever wanted to do something together. We felt like we could make something really cool with her. She felt the same way, and it turns out we were right.
**_What does the process of a Bonnie Clyde collaboration look like?_**
The process looks like a high school group project where the teacher lets you choose your own group, and luckily all your favorite people are in the class. It's a lot of work, but it's super fun. We tend to let our collaborators do what they want within a certain framework. For these past collabs, we chose silhouettes from our collection, and they played around with the detailing and the colors. I'll sometimes jump in and give my opinion or tell them what's possible and what's not, but for the most part, we let them take the creative lead.
**_When working with a brand like Phlemuns, how do you fuse the styles of two distinct creators?_**
Like for Sam, I started as a big fan of Phlemuns before the collaboration even came about. I was just excited to be able to work with the team at Phlemuns. I think it was mainly finding the right style for him to use as his canvas. I believe our brands and our designs bring out similar feelings, so the synergy was there from the jump.
**_What's next?_**
I'm trying to start a digital band a la Gorillaz with the same team over here at Bonnie Clyde. But we all have to learn how to play some instruments still, so that's probably going to take awhile.
So I guess summer's coming up? We have a bunch of drops coming your way. If you're in LA, be on the lookout for our first Bonnie Clyde brick and mortar spot in DTLA too. We're building it out of the same old warehouse that my family has been using for the past 30 years. My dad thinks it was a private club for film industry peeps back in the golden age of cinema (there's a private theater downstairs that we converted into our photo studio), but it's got more of an underground drum, and bass rave/converted nuclear bunker feel to it now.
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